


Good Advice

by akire_yta



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:32:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>everyone has good advice</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Advice

**Author's Note:**

> Leah challenged, my Muses responded. Quick and dirty (written in.28 minutes, without a beta handy) And there's a story behind all the conversations :)

It started with breakfast.

Malcolm had answered his invitation to dine at the Captain's table, and was tucking into his toast when the Captain dropped the first bombshell.

"You know, Malcolm, Trip and I have been friends for a long time. I think I know him better than anyway." Malcolm had just nodded, too polite to speak with a mouthful of crumbs. "Anyway, well." The Captain laughed to himself as he fidgeted with his own napkin. "I'll just say it. I know when Trip's head over heels in love with someone, and Malcolm, he's fallen for you. Big time."

The half-masticated toast hit the far bulkhead.

~#~

Trip growled to himself and snatched up another data padd. The bloody numbers were matching. He threw himself down the slatted steps by the warp core and hurtled up the stairs to the second level. The screens there told him what he already knew. The Armoury was once again sucking  
up the power like a hoover.

"Problem, sir?"

Trip looked over at Hess. "Tell me what you see."

She looked over his shoulder at the data. "A marginal power drain."

Trip thumped the edge of the console. "The Armoury. What could they possibly be doing down there that requires even MORE power."

Hess giggled.

"What!"

Hess shook her head, sighed, and looked around the deck. "Sir...Trip, listen. I'm your friend, and as your friend, I have to say something."

"What?"

Hess put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a discrete huddle. "Trip, please, for the sanity of your engineering staff, just go kiss Malcolm Reed before you explode."

Trip's jaw hit the decking.

~#~

"Do you want me to get you something from the mess, sir? A sandwich or something?"

Malcolm waved his assistant off. "I'm not hungry, but thankyou anyway." In truth, he would probably never be able to look at a slice of bread again without hearing Captain Archer's stumbling attempts at a 'fatherly' talk as he played matchmaker.

Malcolm suppressed a shudder and bent to his work. A few minutes later, he heard the door to his domain slide open, and booted footsteps. "That was quick, Crewman."

"Guess again."

Malcolm sat up and turned around, gracing his guest with a warm smile. "Hello, Hoshi, what can I do for you?"

She came further into the armoury. "I was wondering if we could schedule another training session."

He nodded. "Of course. How about tomorrow afternoon."

"Perfect."

His smile faltered as the unnatural silence stretched out. "Was there something else?"

She bit her lip and took a step forward. "Malcolm, can I tell you something?"

Malcolm began to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Go on."

Hoshi licked her lips, her expression one she wore every time she tried to figure out what to say in a language she had only learnt two minutes earlier. "How...how do you feel about shipboard romances?"

Malcolm folded his arms across his chest. "I assume you're not talking about you, me, and a slice of pineapple cake?"

She laughed, too nervously for comfort. "No, no. Not you and me." Her eyes met his. "You and Trip."

Malcolm felt his lips flatten into an unfeeling mask. "Are you implying that Mister Tucker..."

"He's got it for you bad, Malcolm." She laughed, more relieved than anything. "Whenever you walk into a room, his eyes follow you around like a love sick puppy." She turned to leave. "It's kind of pathetic, actually. You might want to talk to him about it." She then fairly fled the armoury.

Malcolm calmly turned back to his workbench and tried counting to ten. The tools spread out before him rattled as he banged his head on the counter.

~#~

Trip cursed under his breath as he made his way to sickbay. He was more angry at himself than anything. Yelling at a crewman for unsafe work practice, he of course had to hurt himself when demonstrating the 'correct' procedure for that tool.

Walking into the sickbay, he couldn't see the doctor. However, he could hear murmured words coming from the doctor's office. Walking forward, intending to attract Phlox's attention, he stopped dead when he heard his own name. Barely daring to breath, he listened.

"...and, of course, Lieutenant Reed seems barely aware of Commander Tucker's amorous intentions. In fact, it is most curious to observe, the way he seems content to observe the object of his affections from afar. He seems to have no intention of acting on his feelings..."

Trip groaned silently.

"Hello?"

Trip felt like slapping his own face. "Hey Doc, you open for business?"

As the Denobulan appeared, he held out his blistered hand. "Got anything for this?"

Tsking, Phlox waved Trip towards the examination bed. "Actually, Commander, I'm glad you stopped by." Trip kept his eyes firmly on his battered hand as the Doctor spoke. "I have noticed recently that you seem to have developed certain...feelings for Lieutenant Reed..?"

Trip pulled his bandaged hand clear of Phlox and held it up. "Doc? Please, no. Just...no." Without waiting for the Doctor to try again, he jumped off the bed and headed for the door. "Thanks for the bandages."

~#~

Malcolm walked into his quarters and collapsed on the bed with an explosive sigh. Between his conversations with the Captain and Hoshi, and the knowing looks that everyone from his team to Chef seemed to be throwing him, Malcolm wasn't really in the mood for dinner.

His door chimed twice. "Enter!"

The door hissed open to reveal Trip, balancing a laden tray. Without waiting, he strode into Malcolm's quarters and laid his purloined meals out on the desk before moving to sit by Malcolm on the bed. Stroking his hair with his good hand, he smiled. "You look like how I feel, love."

Malcolm grinned and closed his eyes and Trip began gently massaging his scalp. "I've been getting dating advice all day."

"Anything good?"

"I should kiss you and put you and your lovesick puppy-eyes out of your misery, apparently."

Trip laughed. "I was told to kiss you and put myself and apparently all my subordinates as well out of their misery."

Malcolm smiled. "Who are we to ignore the well-meant advice of our crewmates?"

The kiss was slow and lingering, a soothing balm that washed away the stresses of the day. "Good advice," Trip all-but-purred when they at last broke apart.

~~##~~


End file.
